1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to colostomy bag apparatus and, in particular, it concerns a belt assembly for helping to secure a wafer component of the colostomy bag apparatus in contact with the patient's skin.
2. Description of the Related Art
Colostomy are surgical procedures that require the removal of some or all of a patient's colon due to a variety of medical problems. When a colostomy is performed, the patient must then be provided with an alternative way of removing bodily waste from their intestinal tract. Typically, a portion of the intestinal tract is protruded through the patient's abdomen so as to form a stoma that extends out of the patient's skin. The waste products of the intestinal tract can then flow out of the stoma and be captured in a receptacle commonly referred to as a colostomy bag.
The typical colostomy bag apparatus currently in use includes a wafer component which is a disk that is coated with an adhesive on one side and has a hole that extends through the center of the wafer. The wafer is adhered to the skin surrounding the stoma such that the stoma protrudes through the hole. The wafer also preferably has a securing mechanism formed on the outer surface of the wafer that engages with a collection bag. The securing mechanism is preferably designed to allow for attachment and disengagement of collection bags from the wafer to thereby allow the patient to replace bags as they fill up. In use, the patient attaches a wafer to their skin using the adhesive such that the stoma protrudes through the wafer. The patient can then periodically attach collection bags to the wafer and remove them as the bags become full.
However, one problem that occurs with typical colostomy bag assembly is that the weight of the collection bag or the movement of the patient or both can result in the adhesive of the wafer becoming either partially or completely disengaged from the skin of the patient. This can cause several problems for the patient including leakage of the waste products. Even relatively small dislodgement of the adhesive from the skin surrounding the stoma allows for waste material to accumulate in the space between the dislodged wafer and the patient's skin. Over time, this can typically result in burns or other skin irritation which can become quite painful for the patient. Further, once the wafers become dislodged, the patient will have to replace the wafer which can result in repeated replacement of the wafer over the course of a week, e.g. 3-4 times, which adds greatly to the inconvenience of using a colostomy bag assembly.
In the past, belts have been devised for use in conjunction with colostomy bags. However, these belts are generally less effective in preventing the adhesive of the wafer from disengaging with the skin of the patient. In general, these belts are typically designed to either hide the bag from view or help support the weight of the full colostomy bag and are not specifically adapted to exert pressure on the wafer so as to maintain contact between the adhesive of the wafer and the patient's underlying skin. Other belts have been developed which exert pressure against the wafer, however these other belts are generally uncomfortable to wear or are not adaptable for use with currently available colostomy bag assembly.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,942 to Galjour discloses one such belt assembly that has an inner belt which contacts the patch however, this belt assembly is actually comprised of two separate belts with a pouch contain therebetween which require the addition of separate interconnection apparatus to actually connect the stoma to the collection bag. The complication of the Galjour device results in greater complication for use of the colostomy bag assembly by the patient and further results in the patient having to wear a heavier, bulkier belt.
From the foregoing, there is a need for a light-weight, comfortable colostomy bag assembly that more readily secures the colostomy bag to the patient. To this end, there is a need for a colostomy bag assembly that concentrates pressure against the wafer to inhibit the wafer from detaching from the skin of the patient and is adaptable for use for currently available colostomy bag.